There will be no shortage of issues to consider when voters go to the polls on May 14 for the provincial election. Health care, resource extraction, transportation and education have all attracted attention, discussion and debate. Issues surrounding pipelines, coal exports and protecting the environment have heated up in the past few weeks as well.
While the number and complexity of issues seem overwhelming, it is important that citizens vote and that their choice is informed.
Voter turnout in the 2009 provincial election hit a record low. Only 55 per cent of the 2.9 million registered voters cast a ballot. Turnout in the Powell River-Sunshine Coast riding was better, reaching almost 60 per cent of registered voters who cast ballots.
Approximately 40 per cent of surveyed non-voters in BC indicated that a lack of convenience or being too busy factored into their decision not to vote. Elections BC doesn’t want to give registered voters any excuse for not casting a ballot. In Comox, it is allowing curbside drive-thru voting at the district electoral office, which is operating in a former car dealership. It has also widened the scope of acceptable voter ID, expanded advance voting and allowed voters to cast their ballot at any electoral office regardless of which district they are in.
A recent study by BC Stats found that a number of factors seem to influence turnout. The study, Who Heads to the Polls? Exploring the Demographics of Voters in British Columbia, found that neighbourhoods that had high turnouts in the 2009 election had higher median incomes, more older voters and more voters with university education. Neighbourhoods with low turnouts had more voters who had recently moved to their homes from other parts of BC or Canada, more recent immigrants to Canada, more unemployed voters and more voters who were not in the workforce and had children at home.
Young people are the least likely to vote. The report found that just one in three, or 34 per cent, in the 20-to-24 age group cast a ballot. The exception was the 18- and 19-year-old age group. Three out of five registered voters in this demographic cast a ballot. The report speculated this might have been because they had to make an effort to register, unlike older individuals who would already be on the voters list.
The likelihood that people will vote increases with age until they pass their 75th birthday, when it begins to taper off.
Voting is precious, a privilege that vast numbers of residents in other countries don’t have, one that people are dying to obtain. We hope British Columbians agree and voter turnout for the May 14 election improves.
